News

Thanks to the loyalty of our committed customers, American International Foods, Inc. has the opportunity to give back to the community by donating to a charitable organization every year.

Baxter Community Center

This year we found a local community center that goes above and beyond to help the community. The Baxter Community Center offers a variety of services to not only give to the community, but to also build it and make it stronger. They offer a food pantry, classes, doctor and dentist offices, daycare and so much more to the people that need a helping hand.

Since Baxter Community Center has already done so much, AIFI wanted to give them a helping hand to better assist their community.

Community Garden Project

One of Baxter’s projects they needed help improving was their community garden. This garden has helped Baxter give to the community in so many ways and now they need help improving it. Baxter uses this garden to not only provide fresh produce to the community, but they also hold classes to teach proper gardening practices so individuals can construct and maintain their own gardens.

“Our raised bed garden is a key teaching tool for Baxter children who learn about plants and gardening from an early age,” said Juan Fernandez, Development Director at Baxter Community Center. “Many neighbors who participate in our Neighborhood Backyard Gardening Program will benefit from first-hand mentoring opportunities and more.”

AIFI came together and met the goal Baxter needed to make the necessary improvements. This donation will go towards new supplies to make a more productive garden with raised beds and more crops. But it doesn’t stop with just donating the necessary funds; AIFI employees will also be helping Baxter construct this new garden in the Spring time.

“This gift will cover the cost of materials and a volunteer team from AIFI has committed to joining our staff in building the beds in the Spring. Thank you!,” Fernandez said.

Fall has finally arrived and we are excited to bring you the next edition of the AIFI Quarterly Newsletter, where we strive to provide you with top-notch industry news and updates from around the Globe with a focus on how they affect you and your company. The topics we discuss in this issue are:

The demand for healthier, more natural, products is on the rise and manufacturers need to adjust their production to meet this growing need. Some manufacturers won’t have an issue with this change, but others might find it almost impossible to meet this need and keep their product intact. One way a number of manufacturers are adjusting their production to give their products a more “healthier” vibe is cutting the sugar. But of course the trick to this is to find the right amount of sugar to cut without harming your product.

Some food and beverage manufacturers have found a middle ground that both keeps their product’s overall appeal and presents itself as a healthier choice; and that is alternative sweeteners. There are quite a few different alternative sweeteners to choose from, but one that is becoming more popular is Maple Syrup.

Usually when people think of Maple Syrup they instantly think of breakfast food and pancakes, but there are so many other applications for maple syrup. A variety of different food and beverage manufacturers have been using maple syrup as a more “beneficial sweetener” instead of using cane or beet sugar. Maple syrup is a natural sweetener that contains antioxidants and vitamins that many other sweeteners do not have.

Again, the issue of taste comes back into play. You might be telling yourself “this won’t work for my product, I don’t want the maple syrup flavor,” and that is a reasonable concern, but that all comes down to usage. One of the tricks to using a new ingredient is finding the perfect amount to use in your recipe to give it the perfect finished taste. Every product is different: some want that maple syrup taste and others want the natural sweetness maple syrup provides, but the common element is that maple syrup gives their product a more natural and healthier image that many consumers are looking for in their products.

American International Foods understands the crucial need to find the perfect ingredient that best suits a manufacturer’s product; that’s why we take great pride in helping our customers not only find their perfect ingredients but also find the best price and solution for these ingredients. Along with maple syrup, American International Foods offers a complete list of ingredients for food, beverage and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Give us a call to see how we can help you and your company.

The fall season is just around the corner and with that comes the seasonal products that a lot of consumers have long been waiting for; but are the fall ingredients readily available for these seasonal products? One of the most popular ingredients used to give a product that “fall theme” is pumpkin puree; and a lot of manufactures have realized that it’s pretty hard to find any.

Pumpkin puree is used in a variety of different products: beer, pie, baby food, soup… even dog food; and with that comes a high demand for this ingredient. Since the 2016 pumpkin harvest is just starting to be picked, manufactures have to rely mainly on the 2015 season for their pumpkin needs and that’s where the issue begins.

The 2015 season was not kind to the pumpkin harvest. With heavy rainfall and hot temperatures, the 2015 harvest was the lowest ever recorded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (starting in 2000). Naturally, pumpkin puree manufacturers had limited resources to work with and therefor were only able to produce a limited amount of pumpkin puree.

Those that ordered their pumpkin puree way in advanced may not have been affected by these events, but there are a good number of food & beverage manufacturers that are scrambling to find any that are still available; and the limited amount they can find might have a higher price tag on them. Now they need a solution to their pumpkin puree needs.

American International Foods studies the market very carefully to help prepare their customers for the present and the future. Although pumpkin puree is in short supply, American International Foods can still help you finish off your season strong and prepare you for the 2017 season. We are currently offering pumpkin puree to our customers and setting up their orders for future seasons. Give us a call to help you accommodate your ingredient needs.

Finding a solution to cut high sodium while keeping the benefits

In the food and beverage world, salt is a common ingredient that helps make a lot of the products we enjoy every day. From meats to snacks to soft drinks, salt plays a big role in their creation; but why? Why are we so dependent on salt to create our food and beverages?

Salt is composed of 2 simple elements (Sodium and Chloride) but still has so many uses. Salt is used to help extend shelf life of edible products, process meat, control microbial growth and so much more. But one of the more popular benefits of salt is, of course, to enhance taste. Consumers and manufacturers have been using salt for thousands of years to give their edible products that desired taste they are looking for, and now there is more and more awareness of the health risks that are contributed by salt consumption.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has reported that the average intake of salt (per day) in the United States is 3,400 mg. That is almost 50 percent more sodium than what experts recommend. With that comes the higher risk of high blood pressure which leads to heart disease and stroke, two leading causes of death in the United States. To help lower this risk, the FDA is constructing a short term plan (2 years) and a long term plan (10 years) to lower the sodium intake in the United States. These plans would be a voluntary solution for manufacturers and restaurants to gradually lower the amount of sodium in their products. Instead of cutting it out completely, or by big amounts, the FDA recommends cutting 10-15% of sodium every year so consumers won’t be able to notice the change.

So what does this mean for food and beverage manufacturers? Will the cut back on sodium affect their products? Of course, if you cut out salt from your food you will probably notice the difference. But with too much salt you are risking your customer’s health. So what can you do?

There is a solution that is growing popularity to help both sides of the issue. Salt replacers are becoming a viable ingredient for many manufactures to cut the sodium out of their product. These salt replacers simply take out the sodium of salt (Na) and replace it with potassium (K). With that comes less sodium that is causing health issues and gives manufacturers the option to continue using salt in their product.

The main concern about these salt replacers is taste. Do these replacers have the same taste as salt? Some people have noticed a metallic taste when comparing the two; others say they didn’t notice the difference. Really, it all comes down to the type of replacer you are using.

There are a variety of “blends” available for salt replacers. There are blends that take out all the sodium and replace it with potassium; and there are blends that take out only a certain percentage of sodium. That is the main factor that determines the taste of the salt replacers. The more sodium you take out and replace with potassium, the more the taste will differ from regular salt. But at the same time the more sodium you take out the more health risk you are removing as well.

Whether you prefer to use salt or want to find an alternative, there are many choices out there to meet your needs.

How American International Foods, Inc. can help you:

American International Foods are leaders in the food ingredient supply chain who leverage deep relationships with hundreds of food ingredient producers around the world to provide food and beverage manufacturers the highest quality materials at the best possible prices.

AIFI offers a wide selection of salts and salt replacements to best fit your needs. From sea salts, to no-sodium salt replacers, to a custom made blend; AIFI will help you find the perfect solution you need.

Spring has finally arrived and we are excited to bring you the next edition of the AIFI Quarterly Newsletter, where we strive to provide you with top-notch industry news and updates from around the Globe with a focus on how they affect you and your company.

In this issue, we explore Butter’s comeback and the impact on food producers. We also tackle a “cliff note” approach to the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Supplier Verification rules. Click on the image below to download or open your newsletter!

Winter has finally arrived and we are excited to bring you the next edition of the AIFI Quarterly Newsletter, where we strive to provide you with top-notch industry news and updates from around the Globe with a focus on how they affect you and your company.

How green is your company? Click on the image below to find out what is going “green,” how many big brand companies are cleaning up their products and how we can help your company go “green.” We’ve also got the pulse on pulses and just what exactly is this drink sweeping the nation, called Switchel? Click below to read more.

The leaves are changing and fall has arrived, bringing with it our AIFI Quarterly Newsletter, where we strive to provide you with top-notch industry news and updates from around the Globe with a focus on how they affect you and your company.

Click on the image below to read about natural coloring and clean labeling and how they both are affecting your business. We also sat down with our CEO, Jeff Engler, dairy strategist and head commodity trader, to discuss the all-time high butter prices and what your company can do to combat price volatility in the butter and dairy industry.

Gorgeous sun-filled days have arrived along with the second edition of the AIFI Quarterly Newsletter, where we strive to provide you with top-notch industry news and updates from around the Globe with a focus on how they affect you and your company.

So grab a seat in the sun or open up your windows and read about the Fairtrade System, how it can benefit your business, and learn about all the hype around Non-GMO products.

Please click on the image to download the newsletter or open it in a new tab:

We are excited to present you with the first edition of the AIFI Quarterly Newsletter, where we strive to provide you with top-notch industry news and updates from around the Globe with a focus on how they affect you and your company.

In our Spring edition, we talk about the Cumin Recall, give you tips to determine reputable suppliers, and share stats about the burgeoning sea salt market.

Please click on the image to download the newsletter or open it in a new tab: